Smallscreen News

Bruckheimer's real body count rising on C.S.I. set locations

By Stone Martindale Sep 19, 2006, 4:52 GMT

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is all about the details, ask anyone who works for him. The real details on his hit series CSI: NY and CSI: Miami got a bit too realistic for the film crews and actors as both sets had macabre guest stars: real dead corpses. A body washed up early Friday in Biscayne Bay at Bicentennial Park, while CSI: Miami film crews were using a helicopter staging ground for aerial shots of a fictional offshore investigation for the CBS show, police said.David Caruso was not traumatized, according to reports. The stars of the CBS series were not on set at the time, a source close to the show told The ShowBuzz.The body had no signs of injury, and the death was not considered suspicious, according to authorities."Unfortunately, it's not unusual during certain times of the year that people who have fallen in the bay, either homeless or people who were asleep or, in some cases, boaters who had a mishap, fall into the bay and turn up days later," said Det. Delrish Moss, a Miami police spokesman.This was the second dead body to unexpectedly appear on a "CSI" set. A mummified body was found at the same location where the CBS crime drama "CSI: NY" was filming in downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 12th . Police also didn't consider that death suspicious. A source close to the CBS show told The ShowBuzz that the body was discovered during filming for the series' sixth episode, titled "Open and Shut."Death imitates art, or vice versa, as the episode "Not What It Looks Like," which is about the discovery of a mummified body, was filmed just last month. That episode is scheduled to air Sept. 27th.According to the Los Angeles Times, the man, still identified as a John Doe, apparently lived in the building, had lung cancer, and was said to be suffering from depression, said Craig Harvey, chief of investigations for the Los Angeles County coroner's office. The circumstances of his death are not considered suspicious, but on Sept. 14 Harvey told the paper that autopsy results were still pending.The body was discovered on the fifth floor of the building while production for the episode was taking place on the seventh floor with stuntmen and extras. Series stars Melina Kanakaredes and Gary Sinise were not on set at the time.